lnsomb.]  COEUR    D'ALENE    DISTRICT,  IDAHO.  289 
as  been  able  to  secure  employment  in  the  larger  mines  (with  one 
xception)  save  through  the  employment  bureau  maintained  by  the 
rincipal  mine  owners. 
In  1901  the  Tiger-Poorman  mine,  previously  acquired  by  the 
mffalo  Hump  Mining  Company,  was  consolidated  with  the  hold- 
igs  of  the  Empire  State  Company,  and  in  September,  1903,  the 
Impire  State,  Standard,  and  Mammoth  properties  were  all  con- 
ui dated  under  the  Federal  Mining  and  Smelting  Company.  Other 
otable  events  of  the  past  few  years  were  the  discovery  in  1901  of 
le  rich  ore  body  of  the  Hercules  mine,  which  has  produced  ore  of  a 
ross  value  of  about  $2,000,000  in  less  than  three  }7ears,  and  the 
evelopment  of  the  Snowstorm  mine  in  1903.  This  is  the  only  mine 
l  the  district  that  ships  copper  ore. 
PRODUCTION. 
For  several  years  the  Coeur  d'Alene  district  has  been  the  leading 
ad-producing  district  in  the  United  States.     Out  of  a  total  of  313,- 
>3  short  tons  of  lead  produced  by  the  mines  of  this  country  in  1904, 
)7,5(30  tons,  or  rather  more  than  one-third,  came  from  the  Coeur 
Alene  district.     This  considerably  exceeds  the  combined  product 
1  Missouri,  Kansas,  Iowa,  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  and  Kentucky,  and 
about  double  the  production  of  Utah  or  Colorado. 
The  output  of  Shoshone  County,  which  is  practically  that  of  the 
oeur  d'Alene  district,  from  the  beginning  of  mining  to  the  end 
':  1904,  is  shown  in  the  following  table.     The  gold  there  accounted 
>r  is  derived  almost  entirely  from  the  placers  and  gold-quartz  veins 
^ar  Murray,  the  lead-silver  ores  containing  so  little  gold  that  the 
lantity  is  negligible.     As  no  returns  for  gold  in  1904  are  yet  avail- 
)le  the  probable  output  is  roughly  estimated  at  7.000  ounces  for 
at  year.     The  silver  tabulated  is  that  obtained  by  smelting  the 
id-silver  ores,  no  record  being  kept  of  the  small  amount  of  silver 
curring  with  the  Murray  gold.     The  figures  for  the  production  of 
e  precious  metals,  except  for  1904,  are  taken  from  the  reports  of  the 
irector  of  the  Mint.     Those  for  lead  are  derived  partly  from  the 
me  source,  where  the  lead  output  for  certain  years  is  given  with 
at  of  silver,  and  partly  from  the  volumes  of  the  Mineral  Industry. 
le  amounts  in  the  columns  of  values  are  calculated  in  accordance 
th  the  average  commercial  value  of  lead  and  silver  in  New  York 
r  each  year  and  the  value   ($20.67)   of  a  fine  ounce  of  gold.     An 
dowance  of  5  per  cent  of  lead  and  2  per  cent  of  silver  is  usually 
lade  for  loss  in  smelting.     So  far  as  could  be  determined  the  gross 
■lues  given  in  the  table  are  based  upon  the  assay  return,  less  this 
eduction. 
Bull.  260—05  m 19 
